Debian 4.0 secures packages

The Debian Project has finally released its long-awaited Linux update, featuring changes in security and systems management.

Debian 4.0 delivers support for encrypted partitions out-of-the box and a package management system called Secure APT that verifies packages downloaded from mirror sites.

There's also support for Linux Standard Base (LSB) 3.1, from the Linux Foundation for improved interoperability of applications across different Linux distributions. Among other changes are updates to a shopping list of software packages, the latest editions of open source bread-and-butter software including PostgresSQL, MySQL, Apache, Samba, and Perl and Python, and support for eleven processor architectures.

Debian 4.0 had been expected in December 2006 but was pushed back pending "final" completion.®